A recent survey reports that almost two of three new mothers nurse their new babies. Inasmuch as today's woman and mother is more liberated and mobile than ever before, she desires nursing-wear apparel during her period of breastfeeding that allows her the freedom of being in public with her baby for social and domestic purposes, and yet provides the comfort, discreetness, and functional needs of nursing.
She also, however, wants apparel for nursing which is simple in fulfilling its designated purpose, and yet fashionable and available in a variety of styles.
Accordingly, even though nursing clothing has been available in limited style, design and comfort for some years, it has not achieved the multiple goal of (1) functional application in a simple but fully effective manner of nursing the baby in a totally discreet fashion; (2) providing convenient and comfortable styling for a fashion-conscious woman and mother wherever she may be during the day or evening; and (3) allowing the post-nursing mother to continue to wear the apparel without generating attention by virtue of excessive conspicuousness of its former functional purpose.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,572 discloses a nursing dress which includes outer and under dress portions. The outer dress portion covering the torso has full-length zippers. The zippers open to expose the respective breasts for nursing. While this idea for nursing is appropriate in a private situation, it does not completely allow for a mother to discreetly nurse her baby in public--for the breast could be exposed before, after and perhaps during the nursing period. Its purpose and design is to hide only the nipple, and only during breastfeeding. In addition, the dress in this above-noted patent is somewhat complicated in its arrangement and use.
Another example, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,294, is a blouse-only design that has left and right frontal pocket-like panels which are opened to provide for access to the mother's breast for nursing. Again, as in the previous example, the respective breast during nursing is exposed to public view to some extent.